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TRAINING ON SURFACE EXPLORATION STUDIES FOR GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES AND

DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL MODELS

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF INTERIM PROJECT COORDINATION UNIT OF THE AFRICA

GEOTHERMAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

8-12 Apríl 2019, Asmara, Eritrea

Utilization of geothermal energy in

Iceland

Kristján Ágústsson, Iceland GeoSurvey

Based on slides from

Árni Ragnarsson, Iceland GeoSurvey

Outline

− Energy resources and consumption in Iceland

− Geothermal space heating

− Other direct utilizations of geothermal energy

− Geothermal electricity generation

− New developments

Iceland is rich in Energy Sources

− Geothermal: Due to volcanism, as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge crosses the country

− Hydro: Due to mountainous terrain and humid climate. (the glaciers act as water storage)

Energy in Iceland - Highlights

− During the 20th century Iceland went from a poor country to a country with high standard of living.

− Harnessing indigenous renewable energy contributed to this development.

− The share of renewables (hydropower and geothermal) is among the highest in the world (85%).

− The consumption of primary energy and electricity per capita is among the highest in the world (730 GJ/capita, 55,000 kWh/capita/year).

− The policy of the government is to support further development of hydropower and geothermal energy in order to eliminate the present import of fossil fuel for transportation and fishing.

Primary energy consumption in Iceland 2017

Primary energy consumption 730 GJ/capita

1 PJ = 1000 TJ = 1,000,000 GJ

1kWh = 3,600 kJ

1 toe = 41.868 GJ

PJ Ktoe %

Hydropower 50.6 1,209 20.3

Geothermal 152.2 3,635 60.9

Oil 42.2 1008 16.9

Coal 4.8 115 1.9

Total 249.8 5,966 100

Source: Orkustofnun

Hydro20.3%

Geothermal60.9%

Oil16.9%

Coal1.9%

Source: Orkustofnun

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

PJ

Hydro

Geothermal

Oil

Coal

Peat

Primary energy consumption in Iceland 1940-2017

Power generation in Iceland

− About 40 hydropower plants supply power to the national grid, the largest one 690 MW

− 8 geothermal plants up to 303 MW

− Total annual generation 19,239 GWh, of that 77% goes to energy intensive industry

− Total consumption 55,000 kWh/capita/year

0 50 100 km

Mýrará 0.06 MW

Fossar 1.2 MW

Mjólká 8.1 MW

Reiðhjalli 0.5 MW

Blævardalsá 0.2 MW

Sængurfoss 0.7 MW

Þverá 1.7 MWLaxárvatn 0.5 MW

Blanda 150 MW

Skeiðsfoss 4.9 MW

Gönguskarðsá 1.1 MW

Garðsá 0.2 MW

Krafla 60 MW

Bjarnarflag 3.2 MW

Laxá 28 MW

Lagarfoss 7.5 MW

Fjarðará 0.2 MW

Grímsá 2.8 MW

Búðará 0.2 MW

Smyrlabjargaá 1.0 MW

Rjúkandi 0.8 MW

Andakílsá 7.9 MW

Elliðaár 3.2 MW

Straumsvík 35 MW

Svartsengi 46.4 MW

Sog 89 MW

Búrfell 270 MW

Hrauneyjafoss 210 MW

Sigalda 150 MWRaforkuver

Aðveitustöðvar

Flutningslínur220 kV132 kV66 kV22/33 kV

Nesjavellir 60 MWSultartangi 120 MW

Húsavík 2 MW

The main electrical grid in Iceland

Production and consumption of electricity in Iceland 2017

Installed capacity MW %

Hydro 1,984 71.7

Geothermal 708 25.6

Oil 72 2.6

Wind 3 0.1

Total 2,767 100.0

Electricity generation GWh %

Hydro 14,059 73.1

Geothermal 5,170 26.9

Oil 2 0.01

Wind 8 0.04

Total 19,239 100.0

Electricity

consumptionGWh %

General consumption 3,397 17.7

Energy intensive

industry14,870 77.3

Plant consumption 375 2.0

Distribution losses 223 1.2

Transmission losses 373 1.9

Total 19,239 100.0Source: Orkustofnun

Electricity consumption 1965-2015

Source: Orkustofnun

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

GWh/year

Losses

General consumption

Energy intensive industry

Oil consumption in Iceland 1982-2017

Fishing vessels

Cars

Airplanes

0

50.000

100.000

150.000

200.000

250.000

300.000

350.000

400.000

Tonne

Automobiles Ocean Vessels Aviation

Fishing Vessels Construction Other Industry

Space heating and swimming pools Energy production Other

Orkustofnun Data Repository: OS-2018-T007-01

Geothermal map of Iceland

High temperature area

Low temperature area

120 MW

75 MW

60 MW

3 MW

2 MW

100 MW

303 MW

Installed electrical

capacity 2017

+200 MW

+50 MW+80 MW

+90 MW

+30 MW

Planned expansion

Geothermal utilization in Iceland 2017

Elctricity

generation35,2%

Space heating47,6%

Greenhouses

1,0%

Fish farming4,0%

Industrial process heat

1,9%Snow melting

3,9%

Swimming

pools6,4%

Installed power

MW TJ/year GWh/year

Space heating 2.000 25.204 7.001

Greenhouses 37 518 144

Fish farming 85 2.135 593

Industrial process heat 80 1.012 281

Snow melting 218 2.065 574

Swimming pools 194 3.367 935

Direct uses total 2.614 34.300 9.528

Elctricity generation 708 18.611 5.170

Geothermal utilization total 3.322 52.911 14.697

Energy consumption

Source: Orkustofnun

GEOTHERMAL SPACE HEATING

Space heating in Iceland 1970-2017

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

OilElectricity

Geothermal 90.0%

9.9%

0.4%

From fossil fuel to geothermal - The environmental benefit

Before geothermal space heating:

Reykjavik in 1933 covered with smoke from

coal heatings,

With geothermal space heating:

Reykjavik in 2008, almost same view but

without visible air pollution

Geothermal space heating

− Reykjavík Energy is the owner of the largest district heating system in Iceland. They supply hot water to the capital area and serve about 240,000 people, over 70% of the population of the country.

− Total number of employees is 450, turnover in 2015 was about 300 million US$.

− Utilize low-temperature areas within and in the vicinity of Reykjavík as well as high-temperature fields at Nesjavellir and Hellisheidi (co-generation plants).

− Total installed capacity of the district heating system is 1,100 MWt and annual hot water production was 83 million m3 in 2015.

− HS Orka operates a co-generation power plant in Svartsengi (190 MWt and 74 MWe). They serve about 20,000 inhabitants of the Reykjanes peninsula with hot water and electricity.

− Nordurorka is an energy company in North Iceland that serves about 23,000 people with hot water (103 MWt) and electricity, mainly in the town Akureyri.

− Totally about 30 separate geothermal district heating systems and additionally some 200 small systems in rural areas.

Comparison of energy prices for residential heating 2016

Source: Orkustofnun

Energy cost/yr of homes in the Nordic countries- comparison 2016

Source: Samorka

SewerageHot water ElectricityCold water

Copenhagen Helsinki Stockholm Oslo Reykjavik

670 €

Savings of CO2 emissions in Reykjavik by geothermal heating

OTHER DIRECT UTILIZATION OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Greenhouses

− Low-temperature water used for heating greenhouses since 1924. Total surface area now about 194,000 m2 = 19.4 ha

− 50% used for growing vegetables (tomatos, cucumbers, paprika).

− 50% mainly for growing cut flowers and potted plants.

− Artificial lighting and CO2 enrichment (geothermally produced) is common.

Bathing and swimming - Spas

− Natural hot springs have been used for bathing in Iceland for centuries.

− Swimming is very popular in Iceland and swimming lessons are compulsory in schools.

− About 140 geothermally heated swimming centers in the country, mostly outdoor pools, open to the public throughout the year with water temperature 28-30°C.

− Health centers: the Blue Lagoon and a few others.

− A geothermal beach – Nauthólsvík - a small part of the North Atlantic Ocean is heated during summer by effluent geothermal water from the Reykjavik district heating system.

Aquaculture

− A slowly growing sector in Iceland for many years.

− About 60 farms in Iceland produced totally 8,300 tons in 2015, mainly arctic char and salmon.

− Of them 15-20 farms use geothermal energy.

− Geothermal energy used for smolt production (char, salmon) and production of trout in land-based plants.

Natural distribution of Senegalese sole Reykjanes

Fish farming plant at Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland

− The plant is breeding warm-water Senegalese sole by using effluent water from Reykjanes geothermal power plant.

− Indoor land-based plant, 22,500 m2

− The geothermal power plant uses a large amount of sea water for cooling and after the cooling process a part of the water at 35°C flows by gravity to the fish farming plant.

− There it is mixed with sea water that is pumped from wells and used in the farming at about 21°C.

− The fish is grown to about 400 g before it is slaughtered and transported fresh to markets in Europe.

− The production capacity is now 500 tons per year, but the planned production after reaching the final stage is 2,000 tons per year.

Industry - Thorverk seaweed processing plant at Reykhólar

− Since 1975 the plant has produced 4,000 tonnes of rockweed and kelp meal annually.

− Harvest seaweed in Breidafjordur Bay using specially designed harvester crafts.

− Uses 36 l/s of 112°C geothermal water to heat air to 85°C for drying on a belt dryer.

− The meal products are mainly used as fodder or fertilizer.

− The 70°C hot return water is partly used by a nearby salt factory.

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

Reykir

Reykhólar

Salt production from seawater – Nordursalt and Saltverk

− Nordursalt at Reykhólar has been in operation since 2013.

− Use 30 l/s of 70°C hot geothermal return water from Thorverkseaweeed processing plant.

− Use also 115°C hot water from a geothermal well .

− Saltverk at Reykjanes in NW-Iceland has ben in operation since 2011.

− Use 10 l/s of 90-95°C hot water from a geothermal well to produce 70-80 tonnes of salt annually.

Hæðarendi – CO2 production

− Commercial liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) has been produced at Hæðarendi, South Iceland, since 1986.

− Uses 6 l/s of 160°C geothermal fluid from two wells with high gas content (1.4% by weight).

− The gas discharged by the wells is nearly pure CO2

− Calcite scaling is prevented by a 250 m long downhole hat exchanger.

− Produces 3,000 tonnes CO2 annually, which is a large share of the Icelandic market, for use in greenhouses and in food industry.

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

ReykirHæðarendi

Drying of fish products

− Geothermal energy has been used for drying fish in Iceland for about 35 years.

− Drying of salted fish, cod heads, small fish, stockfish and other products.

− About 10 small companies are drying totally about 12,000 tonnes of codheads indoors using geothermal water.

− One of the largest producers, Haustak, buyes 1.3 kg/s of steam from the nearby Reykjanespower plant to produce annually 2,500 tonnes of dried products from 12,000 tonnes of raw material.

− Dried cod heads are exported to Nigeria for human consumption.

Production of methanol in Svartsengi

− The Icelandic-American company Carbon Recycling International (CRI) has since 2012 operated a plant for producing methanol from CO2 emissions of the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.

− The plan is to use annually 4.5 thousand tons CO2 , which otherwise would be released to the atmosphere, to produce 5 million liters of methanol.

− Hydrogen used in the process is produced locally by electrolysis of water.

− The methanol is used to blend with gasoline to fuel cars.

Diatomite plant at Myvatn

− Kísilidjan, a diatomite plant employing 50 people was operated in Iceland from 1967 to 2004

− Diatomaceous earth was dredged from the bottom of Lake Myvatn by a suction dredger and the slurry transmitted by pumping through a 3 km pipeline to the plant site

− Up to 45 tonnes/h of steam at 180°C (10 bar) were transmitted from wells 600 m away and used in a rotary steam tube dryer as well as to keep the reservoirs containing settled diatomaceous earth ice-free.

− The plant produced about 28,000 tonnes of filter aids for export annually

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

Reykir

Kísiliðjan

Snow melting / de-icing

− Return water from district heating is to an increasing extent used to heat pavements, parking spaces and even streets for snow melting.

− Spent water at 35°C, sometimes mixed with 80°C hot water when the load is high.

− 100 m2 house area can supply return water for 16 m2

snow melting area.

GEOTHERMAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION

Geothermal power plants

Bjarnarflag 19693 MW

Krafla 1978-97 60 MW

Þeistareykir 90 MW

Húsavík – Kalina 20002 MW

Reykjanes 2006100 MW

Svartsengi 1976 - 200774 MW

Hellisheiði 2006 - 2011303 MW

Nesjavellir 1998 - 2005120 MW

Geothermal electricity generation 1970-2017

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Svartsengi 74.4 MW

Krafla 60 MW

Bjarnarflag 3.2 MW

Nesjavellir120 MW

Húsavík 2 MW

GWh/year

Hellisheiði 303 MW

Reykjanes 100 MW

Þeistareykir 90 MW

Source: Orkustofnun

Krafla

− 30 MWe double flash condensing unit started operation in 1977

− Second 30 MWe unit installed in 1997

− Further expansion by 40 MWe under preparation

− Plans for building a new plant in the area

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

Reykir

Krafla

Svartsengi

− Co-generation power-plant producing hot water and electricity since 1977

− 30 MWe unit installed in 1999

− A new 30 MW unit installed in 2007

− Total capacity 150 MWt and 74 MWe, of that 8.4 MWe from binary units

− 50-75% of the geothermal fluid is reinjected.

− The effluent water goes to the Blue Lagoon.

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

Reykir

Svartsengi

Reykjanes power plant

− HS-Orka started electricity production for energy intensive industry in a new 100 MWe power plant at Reykjanes in May 2006

− Plans for additional 80 MWe

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

Reykir

Reykjnes

Nesjavellir

− Co-generation power-plant started in 1990 with production of hot water

− Electricity generation by two 30 MWe units started in 1998

− Third 30 MWe unit installed in 2001

− Further expansion to 120 MWe was completed in 2005

− Hot water production 300 MWt

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

Reykir

Nesjavellir

Hellisheiði power plant

− Reykjavik Energy operates a co-generation power plant at Hellisheiði (Hengill area)

− First stage, 90 MWe, started production for energy intensive industry in October 2006

− A 33 MWe low pressure unit was installed in 2007

− Two 45 MWe units were installed in late 2008

− Hot water production started in 2010

− 90 MWe added in 2011

Krafla

Nesjavellir

Budardalur

Drangsnes

Reykjavik

Stykkisholmur

Svartsengi

Hveragerdi

NamafjallReykholar

Hædarendi

Husavik

HellisheidiReykjanes

ReykirHellisheiði

− The Theistareykir geothermal field in North Iceland has been under exploration since 1999.

− Landsvirkjun (National Power Company) started the construction work of a 90 MWe power plant in 2015. Commissioned 1st 45 MW in November 2017 and 2nd 45 MW in April 2018.

− 18 wells have been drilled in the area, in the average 2700 m deep.

− The power will mainly go to a new production plant for silicon metal in the nearby town Húsavík, with an initial production capacity of 33,000 tonnes per year.

− Geothermal drilling made by Iceland Drilling Ltd (Jarðboranir hf).

47

Undirbúningur90 MW jarðvarma-virkjunar á Þeistareykjum

Þeistareykjavirkjun 90 MW – stöðvarhús

(Ketilfjall í baksýn)

Power

Station

Cooling

Towers

Substation

Steam

Separators

Transmission

Lines

Steam Supply

Pipelines

Access Road

Cold Water Pipeline

Reinjection area

Drilling area and

Steam Supply

System

Drilling area and

Steam Supply

System

Drilling area and

Steam Supply

System

Þeistareykir Geothermal Power Plant 90 MW

Source: Landsvirkjun

New geothermal power plant at Theistareykir – North Iceland

Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP-1)

− Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) was founded in the year 2000. It is an international research and cooperation project with participation of over 100 scientists worldwide.

− The idea is to drill down to 4-5 km depth for geothermal fluid at supercritical state and temperature 400-500°C in order to significantly increase the power output of geothermal wells, possibly by a factor of 5-10.

− A well (IDDP-1) was drilled in the Krafla field, North-Iceland, in 2008-2009. Drilling was terminated at about 2.1 km depth when drilling penetrated molten rock.

− After testing the well, which was very powerful, was sealed and abandoned in 2015.

− Drilling of the 4650 m deep IDDP-2 well at Reykjanes was completed in January 2017 after 176 days of drilling.

− Temperature at the bottom of the well was measured at 426°C, with fluid pressure of 340 bars.

− Potential utilization will be known when all research, including substantial well stimulation and flow testing, have been finished.

− Further information is on the IDDP web: http://iddp.is.

Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP-2)